Washington (CNN) - Conservatives rallied Friday at an annual gathering in Washington, applauding the tea party-fueled standoff in Congress over the government shutdown and debt ceiling debate.

At the Values Voter Summit, sponsored by fiscal and social conservative groups, a number of the right's most high-profile lawmakers lined up to speak on the future of the conservative movement, as well as the stalemate on Capitol Hill.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) - As trench warfare over the government shutdown drags into its eleventh day, a number of Republicans with visible roles in the stalemate, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, will take a breather from Capitol Hill on Friday to speak at the Values Voter Summit, one of the conservative movement's marquee annual events.

Pretty much everyone in official Washington, including President Barack Obama, is taking a beating in public opinion polls over the shutdown. Republicans, however, continue to shoulder most of the blame.

(CNN) - Sen. Jim DeMint made an apparent joke Friday on the tense labor dispute in Chicago's public school system, using a harsh word to describe those on strike.

"You know, we have had a lot of bad news this week. On my way over, I was reading another story about a distant place where thugs had put 400,000 children out in the streets. And then I realized that was a story about the Chicago teachers strike," DeMint said, prompting laughter from the crowd at the Values Voter Summit, a social-conservative event in Washington, D.C.FULL POST

That's according to the testimonial Paul Ryan delivered on Romney's behalf Friday at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, an annual gathering of social conservatives and faith leaders organized by the Family Research Council.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Wednesday again criticized Rick Perry over comments made by a Texas pastor who made derogatory comments about Mormons during a values summit last week.

During his introduction of Perry at the Values Voter Summit on Friday, Rev. Robert Jeffress said the Texas governor was a genuine follower of Jesus Christ unlike another candidate he did not name. Jeffress later said he believes voters should choose Perry over Romney because Romney is a Mormon and Mormons are “not Christians,” and also called Mormonism a cult.FULL POST

(CNN) - Responding to a Baptist minister's labeling of the Mormon faith as a "cult," presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, one of two Mormons running for the White House, said the resulting firestorm over the pastor's comments has become a "political sideshow."

"I think that we have such limited bandwidth in terms of what this nation focuses on and discusses and makes a priority," Huntsman told reporters Monday after a New Hampshire event. "This is a political sideshow."FULL POST